


Maybe Sometimes Make It Easy

by archaicacid



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anxiety, Deaf Character, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 19:12:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2359139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archaicacid/pseuds/archaicacid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Levi sees him is in a bar on the edge of the city and at the time, it isn't important.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe Sometimes Make It Easy

The first time Levi sees him is in a bar on the edge of the city. He’s tall and vaguely intimidating as he walks with two beer mugs in either hand, for friends, Levi supposes.

But Levi is used to intimidating, it’s something he does himself.

The second time he sees him, and his stature is nearly impossible to miss, it’s inside a Spar’s. Levi writes it off as a coincidence until he ends ups behind the larger man in line to check out.

He isn’t quite sure why he decides to say anything, it’s pointless and there’s nothing interesting about what he says— _I’ve seen you before_ is so generic that he regrets it as soon as the words tumble out, slightly stilted.

Despite this, he still manages to get angry when the man in front of his doesn’t respond. He furrows his eyebrows and his breath comes out heavier, and still the man doesn’t turn around.

So Levi tugs at the man’s jacket and speaks with an irate tone of voice that he realizes might scare the man off if he hasn’t been intentionally ignoring him.

 _Too fucking late_ , Levi thinks.

But the bigger man gives a small smile and taps at his ear. His hair covers either one, slightly shaggy. He looks sort of like a large dog to Levi, not entirely used to his own size, but carrying himself in a way that looks nothing short of untroubled.

 _Oh_.

Levi finally understands, _I’m a fucking idiot._

He pats his pockets until he finds his phone and tugs it out.

 _i’ve seen you around_ , he types into a new message without hitting send. Then he adds, _at brauhaus last saturday._

He suddenly feels incredibly awkward. He shakes his head and deletes the text. The other man doesn’t take notice of the nervousness in his actions, and he pushes forward, pulling out his own phone to type.

_Go often? Say hello._

He stops for a moment before continuing. _I’m Mike._

Levi responds quickly before putting his phone away, trying to end the conversation he didn’t fully intend to start. _yeah. next time or whatever._

Mike, now that he finally has a name, looks confused, but leaves it be.

Levi probably won’t see him again, it doesn’t fucking matter anyway.

..

Levi doesn’t think much of the meeting until weeks later when he’s back at the bar. This time, however, it’s Mike who spots him—he waves and gives a quiet smile and his friends look over curiously, wondering who’s caught his attention.

He can’t hide at this point, everyone has seen him. “Fuck.” He swallows loudly and tugs at his ear before walking over to the table Mike is sitting at. It’s in a corner of the bar, a bit darker than the rest, and Levi can see him signing to his friends.

They all look tall.

Levi waves awkwardly and his smile is lopsided. He isn’t sure if the rest of Mike’s friends are deaf as well, but he doesn’t ask. Just stands at the edge of the booth, hoping someone says something or gestures that’s it’s alright for him to leave.

Finally, someone speaks, but he isn’t relieved at all. He feels as though he’s intruding on something. She reaches out her hand, a bit overexcited with an intense smile and slightly crooked teeth. “I’m Hanji,” she says.

Levi hesitates before replying with his own name and sips slowly at his beer. He tries to wipe his hand as inconspicuously as he can against his pants and thankfully she doesn’t notice. Handshakes always made him vaguely uncomfortable.

Hanji turns to Mike and gestures quickly and Levi can only assume she’s telling him his name.

The other man at the table, clean-shaven and nearly Mike’s height finally speaks. “He never uses his hearing aid.”His laughter is deep and instead of reaching his hand out like his friend had, he just nods and raises his beer. “Erwin.”

Mike finally catches Levi’s gaze and motions for him to sit. His hands cover his beer mug almost completely. They’d probably span across Levi’s ribs easily and it’s an intimate thought that catches him completely off guard.

Hanji nudges Mike over and rests her chin on her hand, hair falling in her face. Levi wonders if it’s been washed recently. “He’s been waiting to get your name, you know. We’re not letting you run off this time.”

Mike smiles.

Levi feels the tips of his ears go warm and he grinds his teeth. He takes another sip of his drink.

..

By the time he’s slightly drunk he’s a bit more willing to admit he’s enjoying the company. Mike’s friends translate his sloppy movements into even sloppier speech and they do it was such affectionate ease that Levi’s almost jealous.

He doesn’t speak much, he let’s everyone else laugh and talk. He still feels slightly out of place, but they’ve let him in on this, whatever that means, and when it gets too late to stay out any longer, Hanji laughs drunkenly and grabs at Erwin’s arm, saying Mike can walk Levi home.

Before Levi can protest, they stumble out, coat buttons mismatched with their holes and talking lowly with each other.

He bites the inside of his cheek and grabs at his phone.

_you dont need to walk me home._

Mike runs a hand through his hair. He means to push it out of his face, but it falls back into place. He does it once more, pushing it behind his ear.

_I’d like to?_

Levi’s nervousness returns tenfold and he isn’t entirely sure why. He tugs at his ear with his free hand and frowns. He isn’t used to this and he doesn’t know if he likes the attention—it’s too much to process.

He’s always been bad at making friends.

But he says yes. Something he blames entirely on the alcohol.

Mike hands him his coat that he’d hung up next to the booth, and in his hands, it looks like it belongs on a doll. Levi snorts and grabs it from him as he hands his phone to Mike.

_youre too fucking big._

The larger man shrugs.

Levi is hit with a sudden realization—Mike doesn’t know how he sounds. He can read his mannerisms and he can guess, but Mike doesn’t hear the slight accent to his German or his terse way of speaking and he doesn’t know how well those translate from speech to the gestures that Hanji and Erwin would make.

But Mike never asks and Levi isn’t sure how curious he is.

When they’re outside, Levi points to a subway sign and Mike nods, following him down the stairs. The trains are fairly crowded, making their last run through the stations and everyone is hoping to catch them before they stop.

When Levi asks him how he’ll get home, Mike just says that he’ll be fine.

So Levi decides not to worry.

..

The ride home is filled with typical conversation, only they talk with their fingers sliding across their phones. Despite his apprehension, Levi finds the lack of speech almost comforting—he was never very good at speaking his mind, appropriately at least, but he can pause before typing, erase and correct himself as needed.

The nervousness stays, however, and his leg shakes most of the way home. It isn’t really anything he can stop and Mike thankfully doesn’t mention it, even if he glances at it occasionally.

Levi feels unworthy, for whatever reason, the anxiety that follows him around deciding to rear its ugly head, but before he can begin to dwell on it, Mike pushes his phone in front of him.

_Date? I’ll remember my hearing aid next time._

For some reason that makes Levi laugh and his anxiousness dies down.

_sure,_ is his simple response and the other man smiles when he reads it.

Levi tugs at his ears, hoping they aren’t pink, but he hands Mike his phone, hoping he understands what he’s asking for. He taps at the small phone icon as his screen and Mike’s mouth forms a small _oh_ —his fingers almost too large for the screen as he types.

There’s a small smiley face next to the name Mike puts and Levi rolls his eyes but doesn’t change it. Instead, he taps on the new message icon and types something quickly before hitting send.

_next stop is me._

Levi stands up, swaying slightly in the moving train, and he isn’t sure how much of it can really be blamed on the alcohol. He turns back towards Mike who only nods, smile still there.

Levi looks does at his phone and types out one more message as the train begins to slow. _thanks._

_For what?_ Mike looks puzzled, but slightly amused.

Levi shrugs before he steps off the train.

..

It’s almost an hour that passes before he responds again and he assumes Mike has made it home by then.

_just thanks i guess._

 


End file.
